Mobile Learning and the Inverted Classroom (#EDUSprint)

Number four on my list of five types of mobile learning is the use of mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, and such) as platforms for delivery course content. Frankly, I find that educational technology people often focus too much on this type of mobile learning, and I’ve argued that mobile learning involves much more than just content delivery. So as I continue my #EDUSprint blog series on mobile learning, I’m hesitant to give too much attention to “mobile learning type 4.” However, I think I’ve got an angle on this topic that will add something useful to the conversation…

I first heard about what some call the inverted classroom from Harvard physics professor Eric Mazur. He’s the one who coined the term peer instruction to describe a certain kind of in-class small group work that involves having students discuss and answer clicker questions. How does Mazur make time for this kind of active learning when there’s so much physics material to cover? He shifts the “transfer” of information from an in-class lecture to a pre-class reading assignment. This frees time in class for the “assimilation” of that information through peer instruction. Traditionally, the assimilation step occurs after class, as students struggle on their own with homework. Since the textbook does such a great job of introducing the course material, why not move the more-difficult assimilation step to the classroom where other students and the instructor are available to help? (See Mazur’s 2009 Science article, “Farewell, Lecture,” for more on his experience with this idea.)

Mazur’s approach made a lot of sense to me, and I’ve been using it in my math courses for years now. It’s a common one in the humanities, where students are expected to “do the reading” before class (although not all of them do, of course) and discuss that reading during class. But in the science, engineering, and mathematics–not so much. The inverted classroom model is gaining ground, however, particularly through the use of pre-class assignments that don’t just involve reading one’s textbook. That’s where the mobile learning angle comes in: I’m all for delivering content on mobile devices before class to enhance the learning that happens during class.

Here are two examples of mobile-friendly inverted classrooms:

Robert Talbert, soon to be teaching math at Grand Valley State University, has used the inverted classroom approach for his linear algebra course. Robert creates screencasts that introduce important topics (either using a virtual whiteboard or capturing his computer screen as he demos a piece of software) that he posts to YouTube. Here’s an example:

See Robert’s YouTube channel for more screencasts. Robert’s students watch these videos before class, equipping them to come to class prepared to roll their sleeves up and start solving problems. I don’t know where and how Robert’s students watch these videos, but I do know that they’re mobile friendly. Point your smart phone’s QR code scanner here to see for yourself:

(I’m assuming here that you’re not already reading this blog post on a mobile device!) For more on how Robert uses the inverted classroom approach, check out his blog posts on the topic.

Keene State College math professor Dick Jardine also uses the inverted classroom approach, although he calls it “flipping” a class. (The “flip” terminology is also used by Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us.) Jardine has his students access a variety of resources before class, including an online textbook and a collection of resources from the University of South Florida’s Holistical Numerical Methods Institute. That USF site has a mobile version featuring YouTube lectures, PDFs of PowerPoint presentations, and multiple-choice quizzes for self-testing. See for yourself:

Watch Dick Jardine talk about how he uses the inverted classroom in this series of short videos from the academic technology unit at Keene State College.

As with Robert Talbert’s course, I can see Dick Jardine’s students “consuming” these pre-class resources through their mobile devices whenever they have a spare moment–at the gym, waiting in line somewhere, whatever. That’s a great way to leverage the mobile content delivery idea.

Interested in more on the inverted classroom? Check out the slides from a presentation Robert Talbert recently gave on the topic:

16 Responses to "Mobile Learning and the Inverted Classroom (#EDUSprint)"

I am very interested in the idea of flipping the classroom, and I want to test this idea in the fall or spring of next year. I think the potential for increased learning is very powerful. I already have the videos in place for my online class, and I have some lecture captures built up, too.

I have two concerns. One, I am having difficulties getting my predominantly nontraditional students to accept the online technology I’m already using in the face-to-face classes. Two, I am concerned that students won’t do the at-home assignment without being held accountable. I may have a way of placing the videos in the LMS so that I can tell who watched what for how long, so I think giving small credit for watching the videos might be the motivator needed. I was wondering if you (or anyone else) had better suggestions.

Thanks for the shout-out and the references to other “inverters”, Derek. Couple of points to add:

First, I’ve learned that what really makes the inverted approach work for my students is not only making the content mobile but also giving students work to do alongside the outside-of-class content that (a) is just as mobile as the content itself and (b) scaffolds them up to the proper level of mastery needed for the in-class work. When I give out the screencasts, I also give out a clear bullet-pointed list of tasks they need to be able to perform prior to the class meeting and a small, easy-to-complete set of homework exercises that get them there. Here’s an example from my MATLAB course: http://cmp150fc.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/guided-practice-for-march-23/

The key thing is that students need to know they are not being asked to “teach themselves” the material — but rather that they are being supported as the work on their own. Helps them to stay engaged as they work.

Second, I just wanted to mention another “inverter” out there by the name of Scott McDaniel, who’s just down the road from you at Middle Tennessee State. He’s been using the inverted classroom method with remedial algebra students and has had great success. He has an article coming out soon in the Journal of Developmental Education on his efforts.

Don’t you think content delivery as a method for mobile learning is a bit traditional? Mobile learning is not only about students being mobile, outside the classroom, but it is also about anytime, anywhere learning. It is also about using mobile devices to create products that represent their understanding or make it visible. Content delivery sounds old school, one way, transmission of knowledge. So maybe we should say it’s two way and includes construction of knowledge. You should study, one of Vanderbilt’s more famous ex-faculty, John Bransford.

@Bob: “Don’t you think content delivery as a method for mobile learning is a bit traditional?” Yes, I do. That’s why I wrote in this post, “Frankly, I find that educational technology people often focus too much on this type of mobile learning, and I’ve argued that mobile learning involves much more than just content delivery.” I’ve identified content delivery as one of five types of mobile learning, and I’m spending a day on each this week during #EDUSprint. Today’s post was all about content delivery, but content delivery that makes it easier to use class time for interaction and engagement.

@Ellen: The accountability question is a very important one, and I’m glad you raised it. I find it necessary to hold students accountable, at least in some small way, for pre-class assignments. I typically have students respond to a few open-ended questions about the reading the night or morning before class, and I grade these responses on effort. It’s a sort of participation grade for the students. You can read more about my approach in my ProfHacker post, “Getting Students to Do the Reading: Pre-Class Quizzes in WordPress.”

@Robert: Thanks for providing some more information about your inverted classroom approach. Accountability is an important component of this approach, but so is attention to the scaffolding of students’ knowledge. If the students see the pre-class work as separate from what happens in class, then that pre-class work will turn in just busywork. But if it connects with in-class work and prepares students for that in-class work, then it becomes an integral part of the learning experience.

I’m listening to your discussion & thinking about my jr. high science classroom. I’m going to try the inverted classroom for the younger crowd. Any ideas on how to flip public school (+ economically challenged) classes would be welcome.

[…] Mobile Learning and the Inverted Classroom – This was the post that was by far the most shared on Twitter during the Sprint. Many of those who consider mobile learning focus on ways to provide course content (textbooks, lectures, and so on) on mobile platforms such as smart phones and iPads. Mobile content delivery is important, and, in this post, I argue that using these tools to provide students with pre-class reading / listening / viewing assignments might be a way to free up more class time for active learning–using an approach often called the “inverted classroom.” […]

[…] For anybody needing to catch up, a flipped (or inverted) class is one where there is some content delivered to the students before class (by video/screencast, reading, worksheets, whatever) and then in class you have that freed up time to do more productive things than stand at the front and lecture. My two favorite recent run-downs of flipping the class are here and here. […]

Thanks for the comment, Glenn, and for the links. I don’t believe I have anything to correct, since it’s true that I first heard about this approach to teaching from Eric Mazur. I didn’t discover your article until just last year, when I was writing an article and needed to track down the first use of the term “inverted classroom.” All indications pointed to your work as the origin of the term. The inverted classroom has become something of a revolution at this point, so I’m very glad to make this connection with you. Thanks!

[…] mentioned Robert Talbert a few times here on the blog, notably in this post on the inverted or “flipped” classroom. Robert is a math professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and […]